Xinjiang's Sea of Lavender

Farmers harvest lavender in Huocheng County, located in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of south-west China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region on Monday, June 18, 2007.

The annual harvest of lavender has once again started in Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, in south-west China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region, Xinhua reports.

From June to August each year, nearly 1,400 hectares of blossoming lavender turn the valley into a sea of purple.

The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which began planting lavender in the valley in the 1960s, is the nation's largest producer. Its output of dried flowers and lavender perfume exceeds 100 tons a year.

Farmers harvest lavender in Huocheng County, located in the Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of south-west China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region on Monday, June 18, 2007.